Suited for Luck Read online

  John drifted in the void as he kept going back and forth on which to pick. He didn’t know how long he had been debating, but eventually, he came to his solution. Umm, System? You there?

  Have you chosen?

  Not exactly. Can you give me a coin to flip? I’m the Voice of Luck. I want to leave this choice up to her.

  A ghostly hand with a coin appeared in the void. It showed him the two sides; one depicting a dwarf, and the other an elf.

  That’s it. Let’s see what Luck favors. Let it flip.

  The thumb snapped up and the coin flew, spinning in the void before it came back toward his point of view. It hit nothing, bounced, landed on its edge, and spun for a moment. It did not wobble, and when it stopped, it was still standing on edge.

  Well, fuck, John sighed.

  Hybrid option accepted. Congratulations on being a half elf-dwarf. You will gain the bonuses of each race.

  Holy fuck, really?

  Yes, really. You must now begin the process of modifying your new body. When you are ready, just let me know.

  John could see a genderless body floating in the void. Male, please? The body became male, and John sighed in relief. Set to maximum height allowed. John had nothing to compare height to until a tape measure appeared beside the body. Hmm... five-foot-seven? A little short, but much taller than a dwarf, I hope. Nice set of shoulders, but maybe a bit too much. Narrow body. The body before him lost a couple of inches in breadth, becoming more human. Dull the ears. The ears lost the sharp points at the top. They were rounded out, but still showed vague hints of the points. Nobody will be able to tell unless they are looking for it... good. Onto important matters: give the body the same equipment I had before? After a moment, John shook his head. Fuck it. Give me another two inches in length and another inch in girth... Damn, that might be a bit much. Reduce the increases by half... Better. I won’t feel like I have a cane shoved into my pants if I get a hard-on. Give me black hair, steel-gray eyes, and give the body a gymnastic physique. Same face I had, but back in my twenties... okay, I’m done.

  Now that you have a race and body, you must choose which starting gifts you wish from your Goddess. As you have gathered no faith at this point, you can only pick from the lesser tier. It is recommended you take one from each tree, but that is up to you. Once you have selected four and confirmed your choices, you will be done and on your way to help your Goddess in her work.

  Thank you, System.

  No thanks are needed.

  I still want to thank you. Let me see the lists, please.

  John felt his brain lock up for a moment as a slew of possibilities appeared. They were separated into three broad categories; attack, defense, and utility. Looking at the trees, he noted the ones above the bottom were grayed out and figured them to be a higher tier than he could access.

  Well, let’s go through them one by one, John thought as he looked at the attack options.

  Okay, I think that’s it, John thought as he looked at the four options he liked most.

  All In: When the game is on the line, your luck knows no bounds. The Lady herself will influence things in your favor. Calling on her in this way draws the attention of the Darkness as well. Use this sparingly, or bad luck will swiftly follow.

  Stand Down: When you decide the point needs to be made, you can force even a wolverine bestial to step back and calm down. Useable once per day without payment. Using this again in the same day will tax you heavily; within an hour, you will collapse into a short coma.

  Missed Me: Who needs to be fast on the draw if they cannot hit you? Able to bend time and space so any single attack misses you. Useable once per hour.

  Healing Hands: Use your energy to fuel healing for whoever you touch. If no energy is available, you can use your vitality. If no vitality is available, you will use health. Using health in this way can lead to death.

  System, I’ll take these.

  Are you sure you wish to take these four?

  Yes.

  Very well. Configuring your build. Did you wish to keep your name?

  John thought about it for a long moment before chuckling humorously. Change it. I’ll be ‘Doc Holyday’ instead.

  Very well, Doc. You will sleep, and when you wake, you will be on your way to your first destination.

  Thank you, System.

  I do hope you are able to assist the world, Doc. We have lost far too many in the last cycle.

  I’ll do my best, System. For Luck, and for you.

  His awareness dimmed and, for a split second, he thought he heard a voice thank him before he lost consciousness.

  ~*~*~

  The slow rolling sway of the seat he was on woke him. Blinking, he yawned and stretched as he looked around. A wooden enclosure, windows on both sides, and no glass? Just curtains set in the middle of large doors... Guess this is a stagecoach, Doc thought.

  “Next stop is Deep Gulch,” a deep voice called out.

  Guess this is my stop.

  Since he was awake and the town was coming up soon, Doc took the time to inventory what he had; shoes, pants, shirt, vest, jacket, bowler, brass pocket watch, a derringer pistol in his vest pocket, wallet, and money. Coin only... guess that means it’s a gold economy. Smallest coins are made of copper, then nickel... next is silver, and gold. They have the amount on them and it’s similar to US currency. I hope I have a bag on the roof, or I’m going to have a damned hard time when I get to town.

  Shifting the curtain covering the window to the side, Doc got his first look at the world he was in. The road they were on was in the mountains. Lofty trees filled the side of the mountains that he could see. The majority look like pines, but they have the faintest trace of blue to them. That looks like an oak mixed in over there, but again, it has a hint of blue to the leaves. Might be spring? I can see evidence of snow on the ground, but the leaves are green.

  He looked at the sky and was awed by a vivid shade of blue that Earth never had. The sun was a shade more gold than yellow, and it blazed almost directly overhead. Doc was about to drop the curtain when he thought he caught a hint of movement among the trees. Squinting, he stared at the spot and caught sight of a bark-colored arm. He followed it up and saw a face, framed by green hair, peeking around the trunk of a pine and watching the carriage. Emerald eyes met his, and barely a moment later, the face and arm were gone as if they had never been.

  “An elf?” Doc murmured as he thought about it. No, not an elf. The ears weren’t pointed. Maybe a dryad or similar? They didn’t run, after all... just seemed to vanish.

  Dropping the curtain, Doc leaned back in the carriage. System, you there? When no answer came, he sighed. Hope you are well, and thank you again. Now, how do I see my information?

  Doc Holyday- 42

  Half-Breed Elf/Dwarf

  Voice of Luck

  Energy: 10

  Vitality: 20

  Health: 15

  Faith: 1

  Racial Bonuses:

  Natural affinity to nature magic, improved reflexes, keen hearing and sight, resistance to poisons, improved vitality, night vision, natural affinity to metal crafts

  Goddess Gifts:

  All In, Stand Down, Missed Me, Healing Hands

  Well, that answers that, Doc chuckled. What do the different stats mean?

  Energy: Dictates how much magic can be used.

  Vitality: Running, fighting, and all other physical exertion taxes this stat.

  Health: Lose all of this and die.

  Faith: How much faith the people of this world have in your Goddess.

  Not the most helpful breakdown, but good enough for now, Doc sighed. How much energy does healing hands use?

  Healing Hands: Replenish a point of health for each point of energy expended. This is a channeled spell— the longer you hold it, the more energy is used. If no energy is available, vitality will be used. If no vitality is available, health will be used. Using health in this way can lead to death. This spell can cure minor afflict
ions at an increased cost. No incantations or somatic components are needed to use this spell.

  Thank the Lady that I got the silent and still spell. Doc chuckled to himself. I need to know how prevalent healing magic is. It’s one of the reasons I went ahead and switched my name to Doc. When nothing happened, he grimaced. System, if you can hear me, next time you help someone, general world knowledge would be a good idea.

  Doc took a deep breath and waited to reach the next destination. His life was just beginning and this time, he had Luck in his corner. Closing his eyes, he saw Lilly sitting in the car next to him with a smile on her face. Well, Lady, it begins now. I hope I make you proud.

  Chapter Three

  Doc was unaware of how long the trip took, but the sudden slowing of the coach was his warning that he was at his destination. The coach rocked when it came to a stop, and he took a deep breath.

  “Deep Gulch,” the deep voice announced.

  Stepping out of the stagecoach, Doc looked up and down the dirt street. It looked like the old west to him; the buildings nearby had the look he associated with that time period. The things that stood out the most were the people. Mostly human, but a few were obviously not. There was a woman with rabbit ears holding up the edge of her skirt as she stepped off the street and into the building next to them. His coachman was clearly not human, his rough skin and tusks making that obvious.

  “Your bag,” the coachman said, grabbing it and tossing it to him with ease.

  Doc caught it, staggering back a step, not having expected the weight inside of it. “Thank you,” he said, nodding to the driver.

  “Did you bring the mail?” someone asked from the far side of the coach.

  “Yes,” the bestial said, taking two sacks and dropping them off the coach. “I’ll be stabling for the night. Make sure the outgoing is ready by sunrise.”

  “We are never the problem,” the other voice replied with a loud sniff.

  Not wanting to get involved, Doc shifted his duffle so it hung over his shoulder and started walking away from the carriage. Glancing about, he looked for a place to stay. Saloon, brothel, bank, general store, gambling house, maybe... Doc mentally noted each place as he looked down the street.

  He walked toward a place that looked like it might have rooms available, keeping his eyes forward and doing his best to remember what social etiquette was in the old west. Maybe it isn’t the same here, but best to observe first.

  It was a short trip down the street, but he picked up on a couple of social cues on the trip. Every man he could see wore a hat of some kind. I see a mix of hats from bowlers to something more like the Stetson, but none of them are dominant. The men in the more typical cowboy hats had guns strapped to them, while most others didn’t look to be armed at all.

  The door next to him opened and a large man stepped out, almost into Doc. Able to move quickly sideways, Doc gave the big man a level look.

  “My apologies,” the big man said.

  Doc took in his attire and the badge pinned to his chest. “I apologize, too. I should have been watching where I was going, Deputy. I just arrived, and since I have your time, could you recommend a place to stay?”

  The man eyed Doc for a moment before nodding, “The Lily over there has rooms to rent, if you don’t mind their other business.”

  Doc looked to where the man pointed; it was the building he had been walking to already. “Other business?”

  “They have gambling, women, and booze,” he replied.

  “Thank you. It will work for the short term, at least.”

  “What’s your name?”

  “Doc Holyday. Deputy…?”

  “Grange. Sheriff Grange.”

  “I apologize, Sheriff.”

  “Come from out east, have you?” Grange asked, clearly less than impressed with Doc.

  “It’s been a trip,” Doc replied with a genuine smile.

  “Keep your nose clean. If you cause trouble, I’ll be seeing you again.”

  “I’ll keep it in mind, Sheriff.”

  Grange grunted and started toward the general store. Doc watched him go for a moment, wondering about the gun on the sheriff’s hip. He had caught the edge of some kind of engraving on the metal near the hammer. Shaking his head, Doc started toward the Lily again.

  He crossed the street after making sure it was clear and stopped outside the swing doors of the Lily. A sign hung from the front with a lily painted onto the wood, but the paint was weatherworn and chipped. Pushing into the building, he felt his smile slip some as he took in the interior.

  Three card tables took up the back left of the room. One of them had three players at it while the others sat empty. There was a bar directly across from the door that had a sour-looking man standing behind it and next to a closed door. A small stage dominated the far right side of the room and beside it, a staircase that went to the next floor. There was a closed door at the base of the stairs, and a piano tucked into the gap underneath them. The rest of the floor space was taken up with regular tables, three of which had men sitting at them. A single woman in what Doc thought of as saloon girl attire was near the bar, looking bored. The cat ears on her head let him know she was not entirely human.

  Crossing the room, he headed for the bartender. “I was told you have rooms for rent?”

  The bartender eyed him for a long moment before he snorted, “We do, but no one rents them. You look like you’d be better off staying at the Springs, not here.”

  “Hey now, Skippy, don’t go driving off the first new face we’ve seen in ages,” the cat-eared woman said.

  Doc took his hat off, placing it on the bar. “Thank you, miss.”

  Professional smile in place, the woman gave him a wink. “You can call me Fiala. You just get into town?”

  “On the coach,” Doc replied. “Give me just a moment, please.” He turned his attention to the bartender and smiled. “Why would this place be a bad place to stay?”

  “I didn’t say bad,” Skippy said quickly. “We just have a rougher clientele than you—”

  “Skippy,” the voice that called the name was soft and musical, but held a disapproving tone, “are you driving a customer out of our establishment? Again?”

  “Madam Lia, I—” Skippy said, turning to face the door behind the bar.

  Doc looked toward the source of the voice and his mouth went dry. The woman who stepped out was stunningly beautiful. A master sculptor couldn’t have made a more perfect face if they tried. Jade eyes and light-red lips helped give her lightly tanned skin more color. Her long golden hair was gathered into a ponytail. She was wearing a dress of red and white that, while demure, hinted at her figure. Her long-fingered hand was holding a fan which snapped shut as she stared at Skippy. The silver rings that pierced her long, pointed ears, held traces of tiny engraved writing. “I warned you last time, didn’t I?”

  “Madam Lia, you’re mistak—”

  “You did, Madam,” Fiala spoke up. “He was sending this gentleman to the Springs like he did with the last one.”

  Skippy spun on Fiala, his face contouring in anger. “You filthy lying cunt!”

  Doc struck. He didn’t think nor did he hesitate— he just struck. His right hand connected with Skippy’s weak chin, snapping the man’s head to the side. Grimacing and shaking his hand, Doc blinked. “Um, do excuse me. I shouldn’t have stepped into your dispute. I just have a hard time abiding certain words being used at women.”

  Fiala looked back and forth from him to Skippy before turning her gaze to Lia.

  Lia frowned, “I should rightly call the sheriff, as you’ve assaulted an employee. However, I don’t fault you for your actions. Even if Fiala is one of my ladies, he shouldn’t speak to her in such a manner. If you’ll give me a moment.” She looked to the card table, which had stopped the game to watch the commotion. “Dillon, please remove this man from the property.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the dealer said, getting up from his seat. “Game is on hold.” />
  “I’ll have to ask Westin to cover Skippy’s shifts until I can find a new bartender,” Lia sighed. “Now, you were asking about rooms?”

  Doc gave her a tentative smile, “I was, indeed.”

  “You are fine with the affairs of the Lily?”

  “Nothing wrong about making a living however you can,” Doc replied.